The Life and Happenings of the Staples

She is so my daughter....

2010-07-17T19:32:00.002-04:00

Emma and I were having some down time and I turned on "Enchanted" for my entertainment but as it turns out Emma is a fan too :) I had to take these pictures to prove it to Bryant. She sat there for the whole opening song that Giselle sings and then into the part with the evil queen, entranced at the screen. She even smiled and cooed at all the appropriate parts! I was a proud momma :)

more reminiscing...

2010-07-17T19:25:00.002-04:00

Does anyone else find this hilarious? I came in and busted up laughing...she is face planted and sound asleep...

Too cute!

Trying out the new shades that mom bought for out NYC summer!

just makes me giggle...

She and daddy always have tons of fun together...she is really good at making sure he doesn't get a nap...

She will sit there and talk to him and tell him all kinds of stories...I wish I could understand what she was trying to tell us. She gets so animated while she's talking.

She is truly the happiest baby I've ever met! And can I just say that the exersaucer is the best invention for mothers! Or at least one of the best!

I'm a sucker for bows!

Go Cougars!

2010-07-17T19:20:00.002-04:00

Her Auntie Stephanie bought her a cute little BYU hoodie to wear while she watched the football games with daddy. We taught her the fight song and everything...

I fell in love with these little leg warmers. We now own several pairs. Aren't they the cutest?

With her hood up, Bryant liked to call her his "Emma-em"...

A lovely trip to Central Park

2010-07-17T19:14:00.002-04:00

Just thought I would reminisce about our past adventures for a while...

We woke up one day in early spring and realized the sun was out and the grass was calling!

We packed a lunch and met up with some friends for a great afternoon in the park.

She had just started rolling over at this point, so she had to show off her new found skills

Doesn't this face just say bliss? The breeze was blowing right into her face...

Men are from Mars...Women are From Venus...

2010-02-22T18:16:00.003-05:00

So I've been a little blue lately. Nothing big, just missing Bryant and getting some cabin fever. Bryant's been on night rotations for a week, which means he sleeps all day and then I'm alone at night. Not fun. But I've found some awesome blogs to keep me busy and have been crafting like crazy. I made Emma a hair bow holder that looks fabulous. Which of course means that I needed to make some bows to go on it. But I couldn't just have one bow...she would someday have pigtails and would need one bow for each tail...so I made lots of bows.

Then I found some instructions on how to make a cute little summer dress out of an old T-shirt. Well, I've got plenty of those lying around...still haveing my mommy body. So why not let Emma get some use out of a t-shirt or two? So I made a few changes to the instructions and got an adorable knit dress for this summer! Love it! I left it out on the table for a few days just so I could keep admiring it. I tried to show Emma how cute it was. She seemed to like it as it went straight into her mouth :)

So Cute, right?

Well, Bryant also needs to let of some steam and let his creative urges flow. And since hairbows aren't exactly his thing. He decided to create a human body from the inside out out of...yes, playdough! And not just that. He was going to do it from memory...I shrugged and said ok...not really thinking he would do it, but here it is...still not finished, but getting closer. I will post a final product once it is completed. So thank you Jeff and Katie for the wonderful playdough for Christmas!

Christmas "photo shoot" and blessing gown pictures

2010-02-17T14:42:00.009-05:00

So over Christmas, we wanted to get a few pictures of the family and of Emma for us to have. Being poor students, we decided to play around with my Dad's new camera. We had tons of fun and got some pretty good shots, I think. There is still some editing that can be done, but still cute nonetheless (is that a word?). I know I have many wonderfully talented professional photographer friends and family, so don't notice all the imperfections in the photos. But I think Emma is too cute not to show off. She would have been about 3 1/2 months in these.

I spent the entire month of December sewing and beading her Blessing gown. It took a while, but I wanted it to reflect Jane Austen and her namesake, Emma. I love how it turned out and hope that it can be an heirloom piece for her to pass down and use with her daughters.

More Pictures

2010-02-17T14:19:00.007-05:00

This one cracked me up. I had to stay after church for some song practice before our Primary program. I came out to find this. I think what made me laugh the most was Emma's position face planted into Bryant...so cute!

Her first smiles...make your heart melt...

One of her favorite positions is to push off you and hang upside down...makes me laugh

My little family! Is there anything better in all the world? I think not.

We started reading to her early on...well letting her look at pictures. But she loved it and was absolutely riveted on the pictures

I call this picture "Out Cold" She had her head hanging off her sleep wedge and was unconscious

A common way for Father/Daughter time. Bryant reads his medical books out loud to her every once in a while. But she would just curl up and stare at him...or sleep while he studied. Those days are past though...she wiggles way too much.

*sigh* I miss those days when she would just curl up and go to sleep on you...

Adore this onesie. I was actually sad when she outgrew it until I realized I also had it in a larger size!

I know. More sleeping pictures...But I still can't stop staring at her even now. There is nothing sweeter than a baby sleeping

More study time

We started calling her "Peanut" because that's what she looked like when she was all wrapped up in her blanket. Her Grandma Staples found this adorable stuffed peanut just for her!

My favorite Sunday dress so far...Too bad it was newborn size...

So lovin' from her Grandma Staples

This may have been the first time she was actually laid down...just kidding. I loved how shew as so tiny, her legs wouldn't go down into the harness...my little peanut!

More Daddy bonding time

*sigh*

I haven't actually made her wear this for real, but I took a picture in honor of Chance. He calls this her satellite dish. He said "if my cell phone is ever out of service, just hand me Emma..."

Tummy Time!

A few days old with Grandma Cooper (my mom)

She really hated being naked! Now that's the only way I can get her to smile sometimes. Funny how they change!

I love Motherhood!

2010-02-02T18:12:00.004-05:00

So motherhood has kept me beyond busy! I knew it would be busy, but this is something else. There are days when I measure a "good day" on whether I get showered and dressed. But I love it! There is nothing better than cuddling up with my little Emma and looking into her face. I love when she reaches for my bottom lip and grins because I move it up and down. I love after I'm done nursing her and she just wants to be held in my arms and "chat" with me. I love watching her look around and discover the world for the first time. I love so many things about being a mom. It's the most rewarding thing I've done in my life this far. Although, I don't know how people do this over and over...how do you tend a baby with a toddler running around? My hats off to all of you that do that! I thought I would share a few more pictures that are way overdue so you can see for yourself how cute she is getting

She was about a month old in these pictures...

Emma Olivia Staples

2009-09-06T22:08:00.013-04:00

At 3:19pm, September 6, 2009, Chelsea gave birth to a beautiful baby girl at New York Hospital / Cornell Medical School (6 lbs 14 oz, 19 1/2 in. after 37 weeks). Mommy is doing great and our newest family addition is perfectly healthy.

Enjoy the pics...we're going to get some sleep (it's been 40+ hours).

The first bun is in the oven!

2009-06-04T11:05:00.002-04:00

So, I know this comes really, really late! But I'm prego and due September 26th. We are having a girl, which those of you who know me, know that I couldn't be more excited! I am having all kinds of fun shoping for clothes, making dresses and have even planned out a cute little cocktail hat for the baby blessing. It's going to be tons of fun! So, I'll try and keep some updates coming to you. As of now, I'm feeling great. Just tired all the time...but that's normal. She kicks like crazy, so I've started calling her Mia (Hamm). But we are both very excited!

Mitzy Gaynor...need I say more?

2009-06-04T10:44:00.008-04:00

I know it's been a while since I posted in general, but it wouldn't be a New York update without my latest Barnes and Noble celebrity book signing! My mom texted me about this one, so thanks mom! Mitzy Gaynor was at B & N to celebrate the Blue Ray release of South Pacific. All I can say is that she was fabulous! I don't know if you've ever seen some of her variety show from the 70's, but she was just as bubbly, energetic, and funny. She cracked jokes and made fun of everyone. I enjoyed listening to her tell stories of filming the movie. So here are pictures!

Ms. Gaynor answering questions and telling stories. You can tell my her coat and hand on her hip that she definately has personality!

We then got to hear the current actress of Broadway's current run of South Pacific sing "Happy Talk". She couldn't stay and sign books though because she had her stage call time 30 minutes afterwards. Luckily, it was just across the street. But power vocals!

hehehe! She signed my DVD cover and a book for my mom. I really want that coat!

These were the two actors that originated the role of Jerome in the 1949 Broadway cast. They were twins...and couldn't be more different. But they also signed my mom's book!

This fabulous lady originated the role of Ngana in the same cast. All had wonderful stories of working with Mary Martin and Rogers & Hammerstein.

yes...in this picture, you get to see the start of my prego belly!

There for the question and answer portion, were other members of the original Broadway cast and some of the revivals. It was fun to see them all.

Twilight Madness!

2009-01-21T08:29:00.003-05:00

So I think everyone knows about my obcession with Twilight by now, but if you don't...I am addicted! It's really quite sad, but I don't care. I love the books! I just get engrossed in them and can't seem to get enough of them. I know I am 25 years old...and married...but I have embraced my Twilighter heart and proclaim is proudly! Yes! That means that I wear my Twilight T-shirt to Twilight movie premiers!

hehehe

Bryant was a great sport and went to the movie with me! Actually my friend Becky managed to get her husband there as well. We married great, understanding men. I think they may have even enjoyed it...a little.

Anyway. Loved the movie! It was a great adaptation of the book. While there a few things I missed, I left very satisfied with the way things turned out. When I went home over Christmas, you could see it for $5 if you went before 4:00...so we did...5 more times which brings my total to 6. That's kid's stuff compared to my mom and Michaela, but I tried. Plus it just made for great mother-daughter-sister bonding.

Final Projects for FIT

2009-01-15T08:47:00.009-05:00

So as many of you know, I am taking classes at the Fashion institute of Technology (FIT)! I love every moment of it. Well, before Christmas we finished our final projects and I thought everyone would like to see my creations. The first is for my Draping class. Think Project Runway. We basically take a flat piece of fabric and pin it to a dress form and create a piece of clothing. Here is a dress I did. It had to be a dress out of striped fabric with a fitted bodice and flared skirt. I got an A!

Here is the front view. It was an empire dress with a white sash to cinch it tight. I tried to make it modest. That was hard. It's hard to get creative when a sleeve is involved, but I think it turned out great for my first attempt at draping an entire garment. The rest of the semester, we only draped half and out of muslin and not a stripe. This posed some difficulties, but I think it turned out cute.

With the up close view, you can see the center stripe. I had to sew all the white portions closed so you could only see the green color. It took forever! It was supposed to go all the way down the back too, but my eyes were crossed about 2 am so it ended at the waist.

Here's the back view

And me with the dress. I was so glad to have it over and done with.

This is my millinery collection. I also took a hat making class. We learned to mold and shape the wool felt on hat blocks. My collection was based on the colors pink, black, white, and grey. Can you tell? I loved my hats! This was my favorite class, by far because of all the creative juices that got flowing through my fingers. Each hat fits my head and hopefully I will get to wear them around for a while. They are all hand shaped and sewn...no machine was ever used, much to my chagrin sometimes. But they turned out beautiful. My teacher went through each collection and talked about where they would belong in the retail world. Mine fell into the couture hats that would be sold at Saks 5th avenue for around $1,000-$2,000! I about died! But what a compliment, so here is my moment of bragging.

My very first beret. It was an easy hat, but cute and goes great with my black pea coat.

My second hat. It was a great cream wool and then I hand beaded pearls all over. It look so elegant.

My very first draped felt hat. It started out looking like a domed piece of wool felt and I shaped it over a block and then pulled in the folds. I sewed the brim on separately and tilted it down in the front. It is bound with sating and has feathers and a cute rhinestone broach in front. I love this hat! It's chic.

This was hat project number two. We had to drape two hats simultaneously and cut out the same shapes. Then sew the cut outs into the opposite hat. So this one got the black flowers and the black hat (below) got this one's gray flowers. I then added 3 dementionalness to it by sewing another flower on top of it.

This is the sister hat to the gray one. It took a long time for inspiration to strike on this one, but I really like the end product. I beaded the white flowers and the band so it has a ritzy bowler feel to it. The feathers and beads just make me smile.

This was just a random extra hat that I wanted to do. This is the back view. Bryant thought it looked like a pug nosed dog, until he found out it was the back! I love him dearly...but I love this hat too.

This is my happy hat! It's totally me, but I don't know that I have the courage to wear it out yet, but I love it none-the-less. It's a wide brimmed fabulous hat!

This is the back view of another hat that is a big statement. It has the wide brimmed front and short back. I love this one too! Ok, I guess I love all my hats. Its just such a fun talent and skill to have. I really want to take a shoe class too, but I don't know if I will ever be able to. Next semester I am going to learn to work with straws and buckram frames.

This is my white blouse from the Pattern making class. This was what originally got me to FIT. I always wanted to learn this and I am going after it.

For this project, my teacher bought a blouse and we had to create an exact replica of it. This is my attempt at that. It actually fits me too! So I wore it home for Christmas. I want to make a black and white Hounds tooth skirt to match it, but that will take a little while.

Here's the back view.

So...stay tuned for next semesters exploits. I am taking another pattern making and millinery class and starting the Haute Couture classes. I can't wait!

A few of my favorite things...

2008-11-13T22:52:00.008-05:00

Because our life has been so crazy lately...it just doesn't seem to let up! But everything seems to be pretty typical in it (meaning there isn't crazy stuff to blog about or things to take pictures of). so I am dedicating this particular blog to things that I love about New York City. I want through my pictures about found things that are particularly unique to the city experience. So without further ado....

I get to find out things like, I weigh 2.622 trillion pounds on a neutron star! Not soemthing you want to see on the scale every morning.

I probably should have put him first. But let me introduce you to "Thoth". You can even google him and watch some live performances. He is just a representation of the street performers New York has to offer.

Mr Tony Bennett! Walking down the street by Bloomingdales!

You know you are in New York when McDonald's doesn't brag about how many burgers it has sold, but how many seats there are available to sit in...(sitting is a luxery in most places...just not the space)

Fabulous old guys dancing to disco music in Central Park. I actually think he was the DJ for the roller skating club that gathers each week.

Enough said about the bike. It is an actualy bike though with pedals...and skull buckles glues on everywhere...It just made me smile

Being able to camp out in central park for free concerts by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra and The Metropolitan Opera.

FAO Shwartz and the dancing piano players. Yes...this is the piano fromthe movie "Big"

Canal Street and all the Chinese workers..."Chanel, Coach, Prada..." anyone.

The Sheep's Meadow in Central park is one of the Hidden Treasures of the city. You can be surrounded by nature and still have a city skyline. It's beautiful! I absolutely love it here. This is where we like to come with the planket and a picnic basket

Serendipity and the Frozen Hot Chocolate of course!

Can't forget Tiffany's and the diamonds...

Ice Hockey!

Christmas windows at department stores are amazing! I couldn't have dreamed how intricate they would be. Fabulous!

St. Patrick's Cathedral is beautiful and amazing. I feel the reverence of this place every time I go. It's beautiful.

Good Morning American and TV tapings in general. You get to see people like Reba live!

The solemnity and reverence for the heros of 9/11. I get tears and goosebumps everytime I visit here.

Proposition 8

2008-11-07T07:48:00.005-05:00

I found these on the church website. And like many of you was confused and concerned over Proposition 8 that was being voted on in California. For me, I was like "Who cares?" If they want to get married, let them as long as they aren't making it a religiously sanctioned marriage. That, I am sure is surprising and appalling to some, but why not? I voted "no" in Missouri because the Church told us not to, but not understanding exactly why.

Here are two videos that have clarified the that concern. I am now whole heartedly for Proposition 8 and every other ballot measure that will be similar to that in other states. I understand the church's fears and concerns. They go a lot farther than just protecting marriage, although that is a large concern. President Bednar's question and answer was particularly enlightening. So if any of you are still concerned or confused over why the church is having us vote in favor of this, watch these. They were awesome! And then look up some of the lawsuits and things the governments have been forcing religious leaders to do in the name of equality.

I worry that there will come a day when the government would be able to force bishops to marry gay couples on the grounds of discrimination and they would have no choice or face court time. And then only a short time before our sacred temples are used likewise. If that day ever comes, I don't know what we would do. President Bednar is exactly right, tolerance only goes one way. Once we tolerate gay marriage, they will no longer tolerate our moral and religious views because we would be discriminating and could face court time but more often ostracism. So watch and enjoy. If they don't come up, here are the links:

http://www.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/media/mediaplayer.swf?media=http://broadcast.lds.org/newsroom/video/flv/bednar_edit02_150k.flv&type=FLV

http://www.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/media/mediaplayer.swf?media=http://broadcast.lds.org/newsroom/video/flv/California_Broadcast_8Oct08.flv&type=FLV

Life is crazy!

2008-10-03T14:22:00.003-04:00

Well...to all my faithful readers...I think I am back from a long hiatus of not blogging! We'll see though. It's hard to get back into it when you've been gone for so long. However. Here's an update.

Bryant is already full swing into his second year of medical school. It's harder and the hours are longer, but he still likes being here. He got some more fun 'doctor toys' this week that he gets to play with when he goes on rotations through clinics and shadows doctors. Hehe...I like when he wears his white coat to school and now he has accessories for it too! That's what every outfit needs, right?

I have been the busy one. I've started school again. Nothing, huge. I'm doing some certificate programs at FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology) that I absolutely love! I am taking courses on pattern making, draping, and millinery! I love them. I have already made three berets and am working on draping my first felt hat. I know that didn't make sense to most of you, but I'll post pictures when I finish it. I love it! It's nice having night classes because it allows Bryant some study time and gives me something to do instead of staying at home watching TV every night. I'm hoping to take a Haute Couture course next semester. That would be awesome! I think I have found a new hobby. A little expensive, but I love it!

I am also juggling two callings: ward missionary and primary chorister! Our Primary program is three weeks away and the kids are doing awesome! I'm so excited for them. I just hope everything goes well. But we are working full time on this and drilling those songs into their heads like there's no tomorrow! They're good troopers.

I have been doing a lot of odd jobs around here...babysitting, mending, sewing projects, etc...all to pay our bills. It works and I love that it gives me flexibility.

We are happy and still enjoying New York. I'm loving New York actually. I love it every time I step outside my door. It's a wonderful city. I'm growing quite attached to it! I never thought I would say that, but it almost makes the high costs worth it...not really, but I don't mind them so much anymore. I"m sure I would be thinking differently if we were actually paying our rent at the mement and not doing it through loans. But for now...I love the city. I love fall in New York. It's everything that "You've Got Mail" described it to be! Beautiful.

Random New York Happenings

2008-09-03T14:11:00.009-04:00

My mom and Michaela on the Brooklyn Bridge

We suprised Michaela for her birthday! It was so fun! I bought her tickets to the Stephanie Meyer and Justin Ferstenfeld 'Breaking Dawn' concert in NYC. She was giong to be here for it, so why not! She jumped up and down. I love suprising people. I think this made me her favorite sister (sorry Caitlin)! Bwahahaha!

My mom, Michaela, and I camping out in line for our awesome places in line for the Breaking Dawn concert. We waited pretty much all day long on a side walk in the middle of Times' Square. It was fun. One more memory in the book.

Inside the concert waiting for Stephanie Meyer to appear!

Stephanie and Justin doing their thing. It was fabulous. If anyone doesn't listen to Blue October, you should start now! He was wonderful...

After the concert

With our books in hand!!!! You should ask Michaela about the stupid blonde girl in line with us that provided some good entertainment while we waited for midnight to hit. She was precious!

So I couldn't get this photo to go vertical...one day in Times' Square they were having calls for the TV Show 'What Not to Wear'...mom stood inline to say why she's amazing and deserves a fabulous NY makeover.

Getting wired for the audition. I love my mom! She's wonderful and spontaneous!

We also camped out to get tickets from the Wicked lottery, but to no avail. We'll try again when the tourists come to a slow down. But my mom and Michaela got to see Mary Poppins!

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has Monet's! And you're allowed to take pictures!

Some modern art I actually like and understand...:0

Coney Island beach

Can you tell whose toes belong to who?

Michaela about to get hit by a wave

Our first Coney Dogs! The real thing baby! Chilli and all!

Yay for Coney Dogs!

Radio City Music Hall

I love Peter Pan

My Captain Hook...

Belle was there for us to take pictures. I'm doing the wrong job...I should be a princess so people can come to me and take pictures all day! What more in life is there?

So, my new favorite thing about New York is....(drum roll) Thog!!!
I think the picture speaks for itself. He danced around and sang in a high soprano voice and arched his back back and screamed...it was rather frightening, actually.

Barbie runway show and FAO Shwartz! Create your own barbie and she will model your outfit

The Hungry, Hungry, Catepillar...I love toy stores

Tiffany's...a must see for every tourist

I couldn't believe how large this was...

My first purchase at Bloomingdales! Probably my last for a while, since it's freakeshly expensive!

We had way too much fun at the Natural History Museum

So apparently I weigh 2.622 trillion pounds on a neutron Star! Not exaclty what every girl wants to hear..

This was more like it. 10.8 pounds on the moon! I'm moving to the moon...

I have no caption for this...

Mr. Tony Bennett!

2008-09-03T14:06:00.003-04:00

So I'm walking down the street the other day, by Bloomingdales and I look in front of me and what do you know? There's Tony Bennett! It's really him just out and about with his friend. I was super excited and managed to snap a non-intusive photo of him...I promise he didn't notice.

I love New York.!

Tagged...

2008-07-20T19:46:00.005-04:00

I've been tagged. And I thought this was so funny!

1. My Rockstar Name:"Patches Cherokee" (first pet, current car) I don't have a car so I went with the latest owned

2. My Gangsta Name:"Chocolate flip flop" (favorite ice cream flavor, favorite shoe)

3. My Native American Name:"Pink Cat" (favorite color, favorite animal)

4. My Soap Opera Name:"Joy Mesa" (middle name, city where you were born)

5. My Star Wars Name : "Stach" or "Cooch"(first 3 letters of last name, first 2 of your first)

6. My Super Hero Name :"Red Lemonade"(second favorite color, favorite drink)

7. My nascar Name :"Jack Lloyd" (first names of your grandfathers)

8. My Stripper Name :"Dream Snickers"(favorite perfume/cologne/scent, favorite candy)

9. My TV weather anchor name :"Seider St. Louis" (5th grade teacher, city that begins with same letter)

10. My Spy Name :"Christmas Lilly" (favorite season/holiday, favorite flower)

11. My cartoon name: "Grape Slipper"(favorite fruit, article of clothing you are wearing now)

12. My Hippie Name :"Cream Cherry" (what you ate for breakfast, favorite tree)

I tag everyone who reads this and laughed out loud...

Xanadu sing-a-longs...don't judge me!

2008-07-20T19:01:00.003-04:00

So I've decided to try and add a blog post each Sunday on why I love New York City. This thought keeps coming to me because every time I step outside my building, I get so excited and think how much I love the city. Better watch out! We might turn into city dwellers after all. The things you see and do are so random that you can't help but love where you are. Sometimes, it makes up for all the downfalls of big city life. We love it!!!

My first reason I love New York is the sheer number of random entertainment opportunities you can find. Like a Xanadu movie sing-a-long! That's right! How much fun. I know the movie lacks things other movies have like acting, a good script, great costumes, and a plot...but you can't deny that Xanadu just makes you smile. Olivia Newton-John is brilliant and hopelessly in love with a very ugly man. I have no idea how he was cast! But once you get past the rollerskating musical numbers, orange spandex, and short shorts (on men)...it's a great movie.

Being sing-a-long rookie, I was a little unsure about what to expect. I knew the crowd that the Rocky Horror Picture Show draws, so I could only imagine that this would be the same. Bryant was a wonderful husband and agreed to go with me because things like this are always more fun when you've got someone with you. But his response was "I'd rather go to the ballet, than go to this..." Translation: "I really, really, really, don't want to go. So much, that I'd rather watch a bunch of men in tights..." But he loves me, so he went, under the condition that he didn't have to be in any pictures. I thought this was a great deal.

Did I mention that this started at midnight? Down in Greenwhich Villiage? It was a great time. And the people turned out to relatively normal. Nobody in insane clothing. There was only a few men in really short shorts and knee socks. Two of the muses from the Broadway cast even came and sang with us before the movie started! This was the first ever Xanadu sing-a-long in New York City! I was there. Not that it's a monumental event, but look where the Rocky Horror sing-a-longs have gone!

We got goodie bags full of items to use during the movie. We had art to rip up and throw in the air with Sonny, bubbles to blow during "Don't Walk Away", Poppers for "Rock-n-Roll", glow sticks for the final number, "Xanadu", and kazoos to use every time there was a cook scene change or one of the muses dissapeared into a laser beam. It soon became interactive. People shouting out and singing along. I loved it! Bryant even started singing along for a few songs. It helped that they had the lyrics on a board next to the screen. At thene nd, he even stood up and waved his glow stick around while we screamed the song, "Xanadu"! But don't tell him I told you.

This is a picture of the movie screen. It's during my favorite scene. Kiera, a muse, goes to visit her dad, Zues. It takes place on a screen of laser beams and twinkling stars. She even glows orange! Just a taste my friends of Xanadu and it's revolutionary special effects...ok, so their not so revolutionary, but it makes you smile, right?

I had a blast and would do it again in a heart beat! Love it. Doesn't this make you love New York too?!?!?!

A brief (well not so much) summary of the The first month of our summer break

2008-07-14T18:28:00.017-04:00

Bryant's younger sister, Stephanie, came to stay with us for about 5 weeks. We had our first opportunity to play the New York City tour guide! After 5 weeks, we still did get everything done, but I think we may have made a dent in the city list. During this time, Bryant and I had birthdays and we celebrated our 4th year anniversary! It's been a busy month...or so.

We went to visit Ellis Island, something we had yet to do because you have to pay to take the ferry over and back. Have I ever said how much I love being on the water. I'm not the best swimmer, so maybe that's why in the water isn't always my favorite, but I love being on boats...especially on the ocean!

Knowing that there would be a line like this for us to wait in, we packed some sandwiches and sunscreen to go stand in line for about 1.5 hours. Which actually wasn't that bad. Luckily we were on a Tuesday morning. We went back to this spot, on a Saturday, and you don't want to be in line then. For all you tourists, never visit the Statue on a weekend! It's crazy! But there's an ocean breeze to keep you cool and street musicians to keep you sane.

That's the main building of Ellis Island. I learned a lot about this place. I found that there was a lot I didn't know, other than this is where people came before they were allowed to enter American soil. I wish we still had something like this, but alas, it's unpractical and uneconomical. But a fabulous place to visit. I would recommend it for everyone who comes.
We didn't stop at the Statue of Liberty, however, because after waiting several hours in line for security to board the boat, you would then have to wait another 2 hours to get to the base of the statue. So we were content to just float by it and take our tourist pictures from the Ferry. After 9/11, you aren't allowed to go up in her, but you can go the top of the pedestal, which for us wasn't worth the wait.

This is the giant room where immigrants would line up and wait for hours to be check in and sign the registry books that we have come to rely so much upon for our genealogy. I also learned why there were so many name misspellings. That room has the worst acoustics in the world, and fill it with about 5,000 people all talking and screaming, in different languages, it's close to impossible to hear clearly. Also noted, those are 48 star flags hanging there because this was in operation before Hawaii and Alaska were states.

I put Stephanie right to work. Actually we had some record heat days that we just couldn't' go out for. Since we have to walk everywhere, the heat and rain is something you have to watch out for. So one of the days we hit 100 degrees, we painted by bathroom. I liked the color and found it on the mistakes shelf at Home Depot. That's a treasure trove, that shelf is! The paint cost me $1.50...

We have this really ugly brown tile in our bathroom and Stephanie didn't like that the grout was also brown. She decided to scrub it white. It worked for the most part. It always disturbing when you scrub and realize how much mold and ick you have all over your floors. The grout was just stained. I scrubbed it again after she left, and I am now the owner of white grout! It looks so much better. However, I think I'm paranoid now when it gets dirty. That will pass, I'm sure.
One of Bryant and I's favorite burger places is in the most random spot you've ever seen. You have to walk through this really nice hotel to get to it. Doormen... marble...gold...it's all there. But in the back corner, hidden by a curtain is "The Burger Joint"! Nobody seems to know how it got there. There's several theories, like it wouldn't move so the hotel built around it...But it's a cash only joint with concrete walls that have celebrity signatures all over them. So much fun! We love the atmosphere and the burgers are delicious.

There's always a line to get in and you have to hover for tables, but it's worth it, I promise. This sign was posted next to the entrance. It made us laugh. You get all kinds of creative signage in the city...including 'Sopranos'" death threats!

My burger and fries, courtesy of Stephanie's artistic camera

I love the Disney Store! It's three stories of dress up fun! That's my best Pirate face...anyone trembling in their boots?

If you aren't scared by mine, maybe Stephanie can scare you away! (I know these captions are just getting cheesier and cheesier!)

You can create your own Disney character Potato Head! Guess who mine is! But there are pirates, Mary Poppins, Ariel, The Incredibles, etc...so much fun!

FAO Shwarz is another favorite place to look around. They have cool things like life-size lego Harry Potter characters...and Star Wars...and a mini NYC skyline...you can't help but take a picture
So most of you have seen the movie, "Big", with Tom Hanks. Does that piano look familiar? You can play all over it and then they give concerts! I love toy stores, I don't think I'll ever grow out of being a kid in many ways. It was fun.

Our first venture to Coney Island. I loved it, once again, the child coming out in me. I couldn't help it, I bought a funnel cake! We walked around the board walk and the beach. What a fun place to come! Unfortunately we missed the hot dog eating contest by one day! That's just bad luck...maybe next year.

I just thought this picture was gorgeous with he Ferris wheel and sunset...it's classic.

Our two family photographers.

So, this building has been officially voted the ugliest building in NYC! Which I found really funny since this is what all the skyscrapers look like in every other city I've been to, but when compared with the ornate and architectural marvels the city has to offer, I can see why it was the worst. It is also right on the Brooklyn Bridge, which destroys the skyline and on the other side of it, there is a giant Verizon logo...that made New Yorkers mad! No other building has anything like that. So, for your viewing pleasure, the ugliest building in Manhattan!

This is just happiness right here. Because the all-star game was going on here in the city. MLB did a parade of Statue of Liberties. The first one we found, by chance, was the Royals! So here's our little touch of home in the big city. You aren't forgotten...You are still my favorite team, even though you're the worst team...we still love our Royals!

Stephanie and her Canal Street purse.

Steph and I camped out in Central Park for a few hours to get tickets to see Shakespeare in the Park. It was a happy and pleasant wait. We were on a beautiful path, with great scenery and most importantly, in the shade! We brought books and crosswords and had a fabulous wait. I'd do it again anytime! The play was 'Hamlet' and very well done, I might add. I had never seen a production so well done. But I won't bore you with the details. Sam Waterston (from Law and Order) was in it and some other faces you'd recognize. Encore!

If you watch Project Runway, then you'll know what these are. If not, then go watch it. It's fierce! These are the pieces they made from items at the Hershey store. They cut apart pillows, wrapped candy, all kinds of merchandise. It looked awesome. They were on parade at Dylan's Candy bar. Another tourism must see.

The classic Seredipity shot on my birthday! That's right the big 25! And I got my frozen hot chocolate. mmmmmmm!

Bryant got my flowers! Can I brag more! For my birthday, he tracked down some Calla Lillies for me. They're my favorite flower, by the way. Aren't they gorgeous. I love New York and that there are flower markets everywhere! But I love my husband more for getting them for me. He's wonderful!

Another New York stop is the imagine mosaic on the West side of Central Park, pretty much directly across from the place John Lennon was killed. It's a cool thing to see and get all kinds of characters there. It attracts the strangest people, all worshiping their God of Lennon. Some will just sit there and cry. Others bring their guitars and sing. I've seen some bring their poetry and read their dedications to him and then leave it by the mosaic. You get homeless, Vietnam Vets, etc. There's always some sort of alcohol and pot and it's always decorated with some sort of fresh flowers.

This guy's my favorite. He's been there every time I've gone, in the same spot. He always has a pile of rose petals, his dog and a stereo playing Lennon's songs. I over heard him say that he comes here everyday and just sits. I suppose I should be mad that he's bumming off my tax money to sit here, but gotta admire his dedication! He's always there!

Bryant's birthday. He had school that morning, and his birthday actually comes before mine, so insert picture above...but I made him birthday waffles!

It seems like there is always something to camp out for in the city. Stephanie and I went about 5 hours early to wait for the Met in the Park in Brooklyn. We once again, brought our blanket and books, packed a dinner and went to wait for the free opera in the park. The Metropolitan Opera sponsors a free conert every year. It was wonderful. I wasn't a big opera fan until I heard teh Met. It's beautiful. They performed a series of Arias and Duets. And like true opera fashion, there were 5 curtain calls, complete with a new song or two each time! I loved it!

Bryant and I waiting for it to start. I believe there were around 60,000 people there that night. I was crowded and noisy. But the serious opera fans made sure that everything quieted down when it started. Next to us, we had a bunch of gay men smoking cigaretts, and drinking bottles of wine. We counted about 20 bottles empty at the end. And to top it all off, they brought out the joints halfway through. One guys wanted it so badly that he was trying to smoke the end of one that was shorter than the width of your finger. So he couldn't even hold it, but was trying to smoke it off his knee. Great entertainment!

They had big screen on both sides of the stage so we could see the performers.

Bryant and Stephanie laying back during intermission

Here's a shot I attmepted to get all the people. You can see how many, but you can see how tight everyone was packed in. It was so much fun. I'll be out there again next year!

I got to see Bernadette Peters! She was doing a performance and book signing at Barnes and Noble. I love her! She was fabulous and wonderful. And i got a book signed by her!

She sang a song at the end of her book reading and came intot he audience. I loved it!

Bryant and I at another one of our camping out opportunities. We spent 6 hours waiting for fireworks to start, but we found the most amazing place! Over in Queens, there are these piers that jet out into the East River, right where the fireworks were going to happen. We had a great view and the best backdrop for it! The New York skyline...We even bought lawn chairs for this momentous Fourth of July.

My New York City tan as it's called. You don't get a flip flop tan the normal way. Your feet get so dirty on the bottoms and where the strap touches that you have a reverse tan. Then, while you're sitting in the park and getting some sun, your feet won't tan there because there's always dirt. Lovely though huh? But apparantly it's a real phenomenon here! so I'm showing mine off.

The people packed onto our pier for the fireworks. Not nearly as many as the park events we go to, but enough to make it hard to get out if you need to use the restroom...What fun! It does seem like we spend a lot of time waiting in line for things, but I've gotten a lot of reading done, so it's not a total waste.

Before the fireworks started, the FDNY brought around their fireboats and shot out big water streams Some of the streams were dyed red and blue for a little added patriotism. It was a fun touch.

This was our backdrop for the firework show! Awesome huh? I think it was one of the best firework shows I've ever seen. It's was beautiful. I believe it was supposed to be the largest in the nation, setting off over 55,000 fireworks! They had some I'd never seen before. Gorgeous! So if any of you are planning a summer trip to the city, the fourth is a must!

This is just a start, I know on catching you all up on what's going on, but I'll have more to come, I promise.

I'm in Rolling Stones Magazine!

2008-06-19T18:36:00.004-04:00

So here's an update on the "Chelsea Staples went to high school with David Cook saga". There's a picture of him and I performing in Rolling Stones, June 26th issue (pg 30)! It was fun and strange to see my picture there. I know my name isn't mentioned, but that just means that everyone across America is wondering who that girl is... :D So here's some proof that I performed with the American Idol!

I've been missing in action!

2008-06-19T12:34:00.002-04:00

I promise I will be back soon. It's been a crazy month! I have my third calling in church and a sister-in-law in town for a month that I'm playing tour guide for. Bryant is finishing school this week. But I have been taking pictures and will have some long blog posts in a little while. I love you all!

I can now claim that I kissed the American Idol...well, only on the cheek

2008-05-22T08:25:00.003-04:00

I just need to start by saying...Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!! David Cook won!!! If you didn't see the final performance, then I'm putting it on here for you to see. It's amazing. Congratulations David Cook!

2008-05-17T14:06:00.001-04:00

So just for fun, I tried the quiz. It seems pretty accurate...if that's possible for a 10 question quiz. Another quiz told me I was Fanny Price, although I would much rather be Elinor Dashwood! So, if you're a Jane Austen addict like I am, find which one you are.

Take the Quiz here!

A new kind of loser!

2008-05-16T11:16:00.006-04:00

Yep that's me! The new found loser. But I'm proud of it. I was a New Kids on the Block fan then and I am still. I got up at 5:00 am this morning to go out for the Today Show's NKOTB performance! I was there over two hours early and still couldn't really see the stage. Some people had camped out for 2 days! It was pouring rain, so we huddled under umbrellas all debating over which New Kid was the hottest. Reminiscing about the embarrassing t-shirts, posters, and bed sheets that we all owned. I personally had every pin up I could find out of Teen Beat, Bop, and various other magazines. I owned a neon t-shirt with all their faces on them and envied my friend Kristin's bed sheets with a passion. My parents weren't so keen on the New Kids because they were a bit mature (they talked about being turned on!), so I would go to Kristin's house to watch their videos on MTV. I remember dancing with them and learning the freakish step back step with the hand waving to "Step by Step". Yes, that was me!

Today was no different. Well, I guess it was. I was 24 and not 10...as was every other woman there. But we were all screaming like we were 10 again. And singing...and screaming...and screaming some more. I made friends with a girl holding a hot pink sign. Yes, she got pointed at by Donnie! And I was standing right by her...so he pointed at me! He he he. My favorite was a girl behind me begging the NKOTB to bring back the stonewashed jeans!

I think one of the funniest parts was some of the moms had brought their girls (7-14 yrs) and they kept making comments like "What's the big deal?" and referring to the older women, "what are they doing here?" And when they began to perform, I think they were all suprised that these grown women could scream and party like they could. Although, most of them hadn't ever heard one of their songs before. They just looked at their moms like they were nuts!

They were great! I have added some of their music to my playlist for all of you to enjoy. Along with some pictures. It was raining and I couldn't see for most of the time, so there isn't a whole lot, but enjoy another New York minute.

So here's me waiting inline...in the rain. It wasn't that cold when I left the apartment!

That's how far back I was from the performance. Couldn't see a whole lot. But we could hear it all...

And there they are!

Once again...here's to Simon Cowell!

2008-05-15T08:15:00.003-04:00

In case you didn't tune into American Idol last night...Simon's face says it all. A former Idol, Fantasia, stopped by to perform. We laughed and covered our mouths the whole way through it. I couldn't believe how horrible it was! It's worth going on YouTube to find. I'm sure it won't be hard, it was the internet buzz this morning. Anyway, this was a shot of Simon's face during the performance! Bryant and I were crying we were laughing so hard. I enjoyed it. Touche Simon...two nights in a row!

But on a lighter note! David Cook's going to the finals! We are going to rally the votes for next week. I don't care if you haven't been a voter thus far, we need votes this next week! Yeah for a hometown boy going after his dream.

Simon Cowell is my hero

2008-05-13T22:16:00.003-04:00

So, as most of you know by now. I'm a huge fan of David Cook. Not just because he went to my high school. Not just because he was Cosmo Brown to my Kathy Seldon. But mostly because he just rocks! He is original and talented in so many ways. He can make any song his own from Dolly Parton to Andrew Lloyd Weber. He is fabulous. So vote for David Cook!

But that's not the reason for this post. I have come to be very annoyed by David Archuletta, who cannot seem to sing anything original. Every performance sounds exactly the same. As an artist, he is very young and I'm not sure he's ready for such a huge thing as being the American Idol. Anyway. Simon said it all...

"It's like a chihuahua trying to be a tiger!"

I laughed so hard at this. It trumped any other wedding singer or drunk kareoke performance comment he has ever made! It was brilliant Simon. My hats off to your literary genius! Oh Yeah...and vote for David Cook.

I have also had several requests for pictures of David from high school. I only have a few good ones, and unfortunately People magazine has them right now. Crazy huh? Sometimes I'm amazed by it all, and sometimes it's a little sureal. But I promise they will get posted as soon as I get them back. Who knows maybe you'll get to see them in People first! Anyway, I don't think I'll get them back before the finale, since they want to be able to leak them first, but nonetheless, they will be posted eventually for all of you fans.

Some random updates

2008-05-12T11:38:00.002-04:00

When we got married, we didn't have any knives. None. This made cooking hard, as you can imagine. Well, my dad received a set from a convention he went to and gave it to us. We had knives! Well, it's been almost four years and it was time for an upgrade. Not to mention the current knives had become more like saws than knives. Anyway, I found this fabulous set at Macy's during a one day sale. I have real knives!!! It made me so happy I had to take a picture and share it with all.

I have decided after our failure to much of anything in Utah, that we were going to live up life in New York City. I spent an entire day looking up everything that could possibly be free in the city and put it on our calendar. This doesn't include all the nature walks, museum tours, libraries, etc. This is an example of how exciting our July is going to be. There are plays, concerts, performances, movies in the parks, etc. We are going to have so much fun this summer, I can't wait! And the beautiful thing is, it's all free! I'm falling more in love with New York City everyday. If anyone's coming to visit, here's taste of things we can do!

So we've had a large black box of human bones sitting in a corner of my apartment for several months now. What fun it is to be a med student spouse! We get to house human remains. It did prove quite interesting. Those of you who have known me for a while know that I have always loved science and even wanted to be a doctor for a long time. So it wasn't too bad. But still a strange box to have in your house. Well, it's gone now. That particular class was over and so we had to give it back. But not before I snapped a few pictures of our house guests.

Our Spring Break Adventures

2008-05-06T09:48:00.081-04:00

It's hard to imagine that Bryant is in medical school and we are just now getting our first spring break! Yes, BYU never had spring breaks. So we enjoyed every moment. As you know, we bused it to Washington DC. We saw and did a lot, so I may give up writing it all and just post the pictures, since that's usually what I like to look at anyway on people's blog pages. But I'll try to get it all down.

Since living in NYC, we have become big proponents and public transportation. It's cheap, easy, and often faster than a car. And while we're at it, walking is often faster than public transportation. But not to DC. So we found a great deal that would get us to DC for $20 each. My Uncle Shawn informed me this was cheaper than the toll fares alone! Yeah for buses! We tried to shy away from the China Town buses, and managed to find a great, clean bus that took us directly to DC without stopping in other towns to pick people up. Huge benefit over Greyhound!

We invaded my Uncle Shawn's house for the week. I felt bad because he ended up being out of town for most of it, but he was great and let us make ourselves at home. This ended up being lucky because he lives 5 minutes form the Metro which is 30 minutes from DC. The Dc metro is much cleaner than NYC, but more confusing. I love the convenience of the subway here in the city. You can get on and off anywhere and pay the same fee. It makes it fast and easy.

We tried to take in just about everything we could. I'll admit, I thought I was used to walking (since that's all I do here) but walking that stupid Mall was exhausting! But it made it easy for us to measure how far we've walked in a day. We walked around 6-8 miles a day...not including the wandering around museums. We both came home a few pounds lighter though! There's a view of the mall from the Capitol. It doesn't look that long until you have to walk it! It's one mile from the Capitol to the Washington Monument and then an other mile from Washington to Lincoln monuments. Yes! Lots and lots of walking...

I enjoyed the fact that pretty much everything was free there. We made it to the Holocaust Museum, Bureau of Printing and Engraving, Mt. Vernon, Arlington, Art Museum, natural History Museum, Native American Museum, Postal Museum, all the war monuments (Korea, WWII, Vietnam), all the presidential monuments (Lincoln, Jefferson, Washington, FDR), White House, Capitol tour, Air and Space Museum, the National Archives, the Library of Congress, the Supreme Court Building, and I'm sure I'm forgetting some. But we tried to do it all...at least all that we were interested in. I can't say that I'm a big fan of modern art...so we skipped most of that.

We got to see protests. Yeah for angry blue collar workers! I have to say, I would be very disappointed to come to our Nation's capital and not see a protest. There were like a hundred semi and diesel engine trucks all honking their horns and driving towards the capitol building. We joined in and egged them on by tugging our arms to get them to honk more. They were protesting fuel prices, of course. We saw an abortion protest going on outside the Supreme Court building and some sore of Bible thing on the lawn of the Capitol. A group was reading through the entire New Testament. they had lots of readers and people would just stand there and read a chapter at a time. Crazies!

We Mt. Vernon. they've got a great tourist trap there. I wanted to buy everything colonial. We got to see George Washington's Dentures! They weren't wood. He never owned wooden teeth. I think they were worse than wood...They were steal. Talk about pain. They were steal cast with real animal and human teeth in them. They said that's why he always looks tight round the mouth in his portraits. He was fighting the steel dentures! Man. Before that, he had some of his teeth and had fake ones wired to the real ones. I'm so glad for modern dentistry. I can' even begin to tell you how glad I am for Novocaine and polygrip.

Other than that we loved the home. It was beautifully kept and had a magnificent view of the river. We saw the bed where Washington died, as well as his tomb. I didn't know this, but he never had any children of his own. Just step children and lots of nieces and nephews. Martha was a widow when he married her. And he was always too busy with the war and presidency to be at home much. Kudos to Martha for her love and dedication. There was a span of like 8 years where he was home only 10 days or something like that. But I gained a greater appreciation of what an amazing man he was. He gave his entire life to this country and creating a nation that he believed in.

Me hugging one of the few original trees from the Mt. Vernon plantation. George Washington may have hugged this tree! It's my first tree hugger picture!

The left picture is Bryant in front of George Washington's old tomb. He was originally buried here. But, in his will, he requested a new one be built because the old one needed repairs and was running out of space. So the right pictures is Bryant in front of the current tomb of George and Martha Washington.

I also loved Arlington Cemetery. What a humbling place. I found it strange that I was surrounded by thousands of graves, but didn't feel eerie or creepy. It was peaceful and respectful. We walked around. I can't believe the sheer number of graves there are. And I know this is only a fraction of those who gave their lives.

We managed to get to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier just in time for the changing of the guard. What discipline! A great way to show the respect for the soldiers who fought. There were also two Junior Highs who got to have a wreath placed in front of the tomb.

Here's JFK's grave and the eternal flame.

Bryant at the WWII memorial on a very rainy day! It was cold and wet, but we learned, very quickly, how to function under one umbrella.

Yes, those were actually for sale at the gift shop in the Bureau of Engraving and Printing...That pose is for Michaela. Sorry munchkin, I stole your signature pose!

So I've changed my mind about what I want when Bryant graduates medical school. I was thinking Jimmy Choos or a Kitchen Aid, but I think I'm going for The Hope Diamond now. It was fabulous!

This was Bryant's favorite. It's a completely flawless crystal ball. It weighed a few hundred pounds and you could see into your future...

Bryant in the unemployment line at the FDR memorial

I loved this statement on the wall of the Korean War Memorial.

This is for my father. His good friend was killed in the Vietnam War. I always remember him going into the memorial room at BYU and finding his name on the wall and then saluting him. So I found his name on the wall at the Vietnam Memorial.

Overlooking the second half of the mall...That's one mile to the Washington monument in the background! We're on the top of the Lincoln monument where MLK Jr. gave his speech.

In front of Honest Abe...can we saw huge!

You can' really tell, but that's us in front of the Constitution of the United States! It's really there.

That's as close the White House you can get, but there it is! What a beautiful place...

Outside a book store where two cardboard figures...I took an obvious dislike to one of them. Can you guess which one?

There was a theater there that had stars on the sidewalks. I didn't know the theater and can't remember what it was called, but thanks to Gilmore Girls, my appreciation for Paul Anka has developed....

Bryant rockin' out with Sting

Ford's theater where President Lincoln was shot. I had completely forgotten that this happened in Washington DC.

Up in the air Mr. Birdman! This was Emilia Earhart's plane (obviously not the one that crashed...)

Bryant and some Cold War Era missiles

I loved this one...at the Library of Congress was one of the drafts of the Constitution. You can see where a delegate crossed out words and made notes about it. What a priceless document.

The National Archives is one of the prettiest buildings in DC. The murals, ceilings, etc. All breathtaking. We might even rival Europe for this one.

Jefferson Memorial

Outside the capitol after our tour

Behind an old Congressional podium. We were in the hall of statues housed in the old Senate Room

Every state gets to have two statues in the Capitol. Here's Brigham Young. One of the only seated statues.

Now that we've got a video camera. I guess we'll get used to most pictures of us holding a camcorder in our hands...Most of Bryant's on the this trip involved a pose that looked something like this.

We took a tour of the Capitol. It was nice. They gave us headphones that tuned into the tour guide. It made it easy for us to hear her without having to strain ourselves. There were people everywhere, making it impossible to do a tour with out these.

There was aspectacular fountain inside the rotunda of the National Art Museum. Bryant took a video of it. I don't think it can be done justice with my explanation. Huge rotunda with large black marble floors and pillars lining it. In the center was a large, beautiful fountain with spring flowers around it. I couldn't resist a picture.

EarlyWednesday morning, we had to get in line early for tickets to tour the capitol. After that, we went and waited for the Native American Museum to open. It was a bit chilly. This is Bryant's "cold pose".

I had to get apicture here. The Metro stop was called "Foggy Bottom"! Am I the only one that finds this funny?

I found a mother duck and her ducklings basquing in the sun. But I made momma a little nervous as you can tell...

Van Gogh's self portrait in real life! I'd seen it in art books, but here it is.

I discovered that I'm a real fan of Monet. He does beautiful and serene pieces. I loved this one.

We then took a trip down to Williamsburg to stay with Kristi and Ryan for a while. We wandered around colonial Williamsburg while Kristi went to work. Afterwards, we got delectible sandwiches homestyle ginger ale and had a picnic. Finally some gorgeous weather. It rained or was cloudy the entire time we were in DC.

Kristi and Ryan enjoying the amazing food

Bryant by a cannon used at some point during the Revolutionary war. He is also standing outside the oldest educational building in America. William and Mary predates the creation of the United States of America! Thomas Jefferson went here!

We took a drive down to Yorktown and Jamestown. I don't remember which one this is, to tell you the truth. But a great view and a relaxing walk along the beach was just what we needed.

The wind kept blowing my dress and I thought it made me look prego, so we're making fun of that...

It got a little warm, so Kristi and I plopped by the fountain and stuck our hands in to cool off. I can't tell you how much I had to fight the urge to just walk around in it!

We had a fun night of playing Apples to Apples. I love this game. You quickly learn a lot about someone's personality and sense of humor by playing this game. Bryant was also reunited with Buford the Bee. Kristi and I found him while shopping at Wal-Mart for Valentines day forever ago. He's the best cuddle toy there is. It's like 3 feet tall and squishy. I love Buford!

For an adventure, Bryant and I took the Amtrak train home to NYC. I loved it. I liked it better than flying that's for sure. It was less tiring. You spend the same amount of time, but don't have to go through security and layovers. Once you're on the train, you're on the train...It's spacier and more comfortable. Plus you get a view!

We're homeward bound...

Spring Break!

2008-04-25T08:55:00.003-04:00

Bryant is done with finals and we are heading out to Washington DC today! I'm so excited. I've never been there. We are then traveling down to visit one of my bestest friends, Kristi Millet (and Ryan of course). So, there may be a pause in between posts here, but when I get back! Watch out! I'll have pictures and adventures to tell...So stay tuned.

A busy day in Central Park

2008-04-19T13:44:00.019-04:00

What beautiful weather we are enjoying! I love it. Although, I have to admit I'm a bit disappointed we didn't have a longer spring. It feels like we just jumped right into summer weather. It's a little on the warm side. But if you stay in the shade, with a beautiful breeze, it's a wonderfully pleasant day. We've made some great friends down the hall. They are a cute couple (Bryson and Jen) with an adorable son (Daniel). But unfortunately, Bryson graduates this year, so they will be moving away. Which makes me sad, but they won't be too far away, so we can go visit. They will be moving to Rochester which is close to the Sacred Grove and a few other church history sites.

Anywho, we went with the Richards for a fun picnic to Central Park. It took a little while to walk there, being diverted a few times by the "Pope blockades" as I called them. Eveywhere on the Upper East side, it seems, was blocked off entirely for the Pope's visit. right off Central Park, was the residence he would be staying in. They had helocopters, snipers, bomb dogs, and cement blocks around it. All this was ontop of the many police cars, men, and other security measures.

If you look way back there, you can see the white tent covering the entrance and parking for him. I was amazed. I don't think I've ever seen anything like this before!

Central Park holds a very dear place in my heart now. It's beautiful. Nothing like what I imagined it would be. In Missouri, parks are either State Parks or they are flat with a playground. The latter is more what I though Central Park would be. But it is anything but that. There are hills, and beautiful rock formations, trees, zoos, pathways, massive lawns, etc. It's a small piece of home in a world of concrete. I think New Yorkers would go insane if they didn't have this place. It's the gem of the city, that's for sure.

We managed to be there while many of the trees were still in bloom. It just made me smile. This of course, made the air fragrant and managed to cover up a lot of the city smell that comes along with New York city. I loved the flowers!

We plopped in a place called the Sheep's Meadow...named appropriately for the many sheep that used to graze there. It's a large piece of lawn. There is no other place in the country like this because you are in a wonderful piece of nature and you look around you and there are skyscrapers everywhere you look. There are also hundreds of people out there with you. I could have slept there or read a book all day. Gorgeous!

Bryant just got a new camera and took it out to play. He's going to be making an informational/promotional video for the school this summer, so he wanted to taker her for a test run. We used little Daniel as our test subject. I can't wait to have a cute baby to take pictures of everywhere we go. He's the cutest kid!

But Jen and I walked around the park trying to get him to sleep and Bryant and Bryson chatted about med school. They are good friends and we're lucky to have them.

Here's just a few more photos from the park. I can't believe what a beautiful day it was!

We walked down Park Avenue, one of the few two way streets in Manhatten, and there wasn't a car in site. It was blockaded. I've never been able to just stand in the middle of the street and get a pcitre of the skyline before. Probably never will again.

So we stopped in the middle and took pictures! We are eternal tourists!

Oh yeah. Earlier today, I was walking home from an appointment with the Sister Missionaries, and got stuck in all the road blocks for the Pope. And a few seconds later, here he came! So here's a picture of the Pope's car. You can't see him in it because of the blackend window, but it's him, I promise. Yeah! According to the people were surounded by, my sins are forgiven and I will have a long and blessed life because we were able to see him. Yeah! We wanted to go and hear him speak, but there would be a long line and I wanted those who were Catholic to have that opportunity. So we watched him on TV and enjoyed the chaos that comes with the heightened security. It has made for a fun weekend.

I think I've recoverd from this weekend now...

2008-04-15T14:19:00.006-04:00

So, I thought I had had all the excitement I could handle for a while, but alas! I got involved in a charity benefit this last weekend. It was sponsored by NiCole Robinson, actress from the West Wing, who lost her son to ACD this last September. She created this benefit to raise money and awareness for it. Which also meant that it was filled with celebrities...granted they were of the "B" list crowd, but it was still fun to see some familiar faces. There were several members of "The West Wing" cast as well as "All My Children" and all their Producers and production staff. But my favorite of all was the concert for the benefit! Kristin Chenoweth was there. For all you non musical theater people, she originated Glinda in the Broadway show "Wicked" and is now currently on the TV show "Pushing Daisies" as Olive Snook. I adore her and was thrilled to get to watch her perform. It was a private concert. Only 140 people in attendance...and I was one of them! Unfortunately they wer all celebrities, so cameras were not allowed, but I got to see Kristin Chenoweth!!!!!!

I was so dang excited, I couldn't sleep the night before, nor the night afterwards. But it was utterly fabulous! She performed "For Good" (Wicked), "Till there was You" (Music Man), Girl in 14G (a song written for her), and "Daddy" were some of the well known tunes. But she performed for over an hour. It was an amazing performance. She is the most wonderful performer. I'm sure I had a ridiculously happy face on the entire time, but I don't care! I've heard a lot of those songs performed before, but no one even came close to her. AHHH! I adore her. We were three rows back and when she came out into the audience, she talked with Bryant! And stepped on my foot!

Other than that, the benefit was great. People spent an outrageous amount of money on things, but it was for a good cause. There was a live auction, silent auction, as well as a raffle for high end items. Several signed scripts were available (West Wing, Desperate Housewives, Big Love) and cast photos. Angelina Jolie's personal stylist was auctioned off to go through your closet and help you shop for new items. Just a bunch of crazy celebrity stuff. It was fun to be in the middle of it. Bryant and I were stationed at the door to make sure the VIP's were taken care of. I had the clipboard with the guest list and checked them off as they came in. It was a fun evening. Another fabulous New York experience!

High School Reunion

2008-04-10T09:03:00.005-04:00

Yeah for Blue Springs South Alumni! Steve Henry has been working in New York and is Stage Managing a touching play about the repercussions to the family of an almost school shooter. Steve was able to get us comp tickets to one of their previews. I loved the play. The "F" word few around a lot, but it went to demonstrate how disfunctional this family actually was. So I wasn't as offended, if that's possible or strange. But it was a beautiful story of a family working through this time and coming together to reform a bond they used to share. You watch as this teen boy deals with rejection from school and the fact that he has been an outcast his entire life, but is now the center of attention, although negative attention. A great play.

Anyway, it was good to see Steve and he gave us the VIP tour of the stage. There wasn't much to see in a small Off-Broadway theater, but it felt great to be on and behind a stage again. I miss it. They had a fantastic set though. Everything moved with these giant motors in the back. yeah for professional theater and large budgets!

What do you do when all your dreams come true?!?!

2008-04-03T09:19:00.014-04:00

So one of my lifelong dreams came true last night! I spent my fair share of time jumping up and down, skipping, and squeeling. Yes, I even teared up on a few occassions. But I don't know what to do anymore. I love New York City. For all you inquiring minds, I got to meet Julie Andrews last night! I still can't believe it! But I did! I've wanted to meet her for as long as I've known who she is.

So I was watching Good Morning America and Live with Regis and Kelly...and there she was! They mentioned that she would be signing copies of her new book down in Union Square. It clicked. That's in New York City! I live here! I jumped around a bit and even cried for a few seconds, It got penciled in every calendar I own. I was going to be there! The next day (day of signing) I called Barnes and Noble to see how early I would have to get there to wait in line. They said I needed an arm band. I panicked. They were running out. I ran to the subway, took express trains and ran to the store. I ran up to the fourth floor and sweating, I managed to get one of the last 10 wrist bands! I cried again and hugged the poor guy giving them out. But I had one!

I then met the Sister Missionaries at the famous Serendipity restraunt. Yes, it looks just like the movie, except I think the one in the movie is bigger. It's tiny! We were lucky. Usually there's about a two hour waiting list, because they can't hold that many people. But we walked right in. Good timing.

I ordered Ice Cream Crepes. I'm salivating right now just thinking about them. They were that good. I'm positive it was calorie and fat loaded, but I didn't care. As soon as I took that first bite. It was amazing. I even spooned all the extra sauce. Don't judge until you've tried it. I shared it with one of the Sisters who ordered the famous Frozen Hot chocolate. It is a combination of 14 different chocolates! Sold! It was fabulous! So anyone who comes to visit will be going there if you're up to it. It was a little pricey, but so good.

The next big event was Julie Andrews! I went two hours early to get a seat. I met some fabulous people, but I think I was the biggest fan of them all. Most had only seen Mary Poppins and Sound of Music...I have seen a few more. But they were fun. When she came up the stairs, I squeeled and jumped up and down, with all the girls around me! It was amazing. All I can say is she is beautiful, classy, elegant, considerate, and perfect! She was every bit as wonderful as I imagined. She answered four previously gathered questions about her book and its process.

And then she signed. She didn't personalize because her arthritis wouldn't hold up that long, but I still have a book with her signature and I got to shake her hand. I had to try really hard not to squeel "Can I touch you?" I held it together, and shook her hand and thanked her. The conversation was longer, but I won't type it. It was great! So enjoy my pictures. We weren't allowed a flash, but I got some in. It was amazing. I love New York!

Waiting for Spring....

2008-04-01T15:02:00.002-04:00

I'm back in the city and home from Caitlin's wedding. It's damp and cloudy and I want spring to be here! I want to wear flip flops, capris, sunglasses, and cute dresses. I love Spring! I can't wait to see all that NYC has for warmer weather. I love to walk around the city, but it's harder when the cold wind is blowing and your umbrella is inside out. There are festivals and plays in Central Park. I may even see some flowers and trees if I look in the right places. And then there's all the beautiful New York sales going on! It's going to be fabulous. We just have to get over the rain and scream for Spring...maybe if we all do it together! Spring!

Finally recovering from the wedding

2008-03-26T08:32:00.010-04:00

We are back in the Big Apple now. The wedding went well and the end result is as hoped...they're married. It was a gorgeous ceremony and Caitlin looked beautiful. What I love most about family event is that family is there. Being out here in New York, it gets a bit lonely sometimes. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing my Grandparents there. I always love to sit at their feet and listen to their stories. They have led amazing lives. I often wonder if I'll have as humorous of stories as they do. But it doesn't matter, if needed, I'll just tell theirs.

The night after I got there, we threw Caitlin a Bridal Shower. It was Breakfast at Tiffany's themed. All the ladies were to dress in the "little black attire" and we had pearls and jeweled rings to put on. It was a fabulous party darling! There were Tiffany Blue cupcakes and favors, fun games and good friends. We enjoyed it.

The theme carried over to our Audrey Hepburn themed Bachellorette. All of the girls wore little black dresses, hats, gloves, etc. We went out for cocktails and appetizers and came home to a chocotle fountain with tons of junk to dip in it. I was sick, but we sent Caitlin off into married life in style!

We prayed and prayed for good weather for traveling and the festivities. It was perfect for traveling, so we all arrived safely and it even held up for pictures, but the winds were let loose as soon as we left the Temple. It was crazy. It kept catching my dress and I couldn't walk. It was like wearing a giant sail...I kept getting pulled backwards. So needless to say, we didn't get a lot of pictures after the wedding. But plenty before. I'm happy for them.

The weather held up, but people's health didn't. My dad was the first to get sick, mom followed, and soon after Grandma and Grandpa. I think most of them are better by now...mom is still under the weather though. This meant she couldn't help with Saturday's decorating or enjoy the reception. She spent most of the night in a chair by the door. She's such a trooper. But she look beautiful! My Aunt Kathy came and did our hair. She did a fabulous french twist on my mom and a french twist with a twist on mine. It was beautiful and mature. I've never really had a mature hairstyle before. I loved it.

I got to decorate another wedding cake. I'm pretty good at faking that I know how to do it. But the cake tasted delicious. It had real strawberries in the middle. Mmmmm. I even packed some to go on the airplane. I've posted a slide show with most of the pictures. (There were a lot of them) We played and partied hard!

My first celebrity sighting

2008-03-07T08:59:00.005-05:00

So I was walking down Madison Avenue yesterday and saw a swarm of Paparazzi. I went over to see which celeb it was and there was Catherine Zeta Jones! I was excited! She was there announcing the opening of the new Elizabeth Arden flagship store as well the fact that she was their new spokesperson. She's beautiful in real life. Short. But fabulous. I love New York City. I get to experience things like this. So for all of you, not in NYC, here is my first celeb sighting photo.

It's finally here!

2008-03-07T08:08:00.002-05:00

Bryant worked so hard on his class video and it's finally done and posted on YouTube! You can either search it the old fashioned way by going to YouTube and searching "Cornell Med School Video" or click on the link above or to the side of this post. It's fabulous and I am so excited for how it turned out. It's basically making fun of the fact that each of their lectures is video taped so that they can go back and watch them later. However, this means that cameras are always moving around the room, leaving those to wonder what the guy in teh back is really watching. Here is one theory, although untrue. It was fun to come up with random things for the students to be doing while lecture is going on. We had to get creative. I love who they got to play Sting! They couldn't get anyone better. My husband is amazing and I couldn't ask for anyong better. We did find a new talent and passion for movie making in the process though. I think we'll have to invest in a nice video camera soon. It keeps him occupied. So enjoy and share it around. It's a great watch.

President's Day

2008-02-19T16:50:00.010-05:00

Bryant didn't have any school on Presiden't Day. He had tests and I was sick on Valentine's Day so we celebrated both on Monday. We went to Grant's Tomb. I can now officially end all debate as to who is buried in Grant's Tomb! And if you don't believe me, see above pictures for proof. I had no idea how big it was! It's the largest tomb in the United States. As you can see from the picture. Everything was great. It has a informational display about Ulysses S. Grant and his life and how he ended up buried in New York City. I wondered that. It's a little random. But it turns out he lived here after his presidency.

We then headed to ground zero to see what progress had been done and took a tour of Trinity Church. This is a quaint little church that housed the relief workers and fireman when they needed a break from 9/11 rescue work. It is also the church where George Washington went to pray immediately following his inauguration. There's a lot of history there. And amazingly it escaped unscathed from the Twin Towers' collapse. If you ever get the chance, it's a beautiful and peaceful place to visit.

Then, we decided to walk the Brooklyn Bridge. It's the most famous bridge, and being a closet Newsies fan, I had to do it. So we walked across the bridge. It's a lot of fun and anyone who comes to visit will get the chance. What a gorgeous and historic bridge.

We ended the day with a delicious Italian dinner at a restraunt down the street from us. Despite getting rained on, it was a fun day. I love the city! Have I said that before?

Our Apartment

2008-02-12T13:49:00.000-05:00

So a lot of people have been asking to see pictures of our apartment. It's smaller than most, but big and spacious for New York. I've tried reallyhard to make it feel like a home and I think I've done it. I love our apartment. I love my green kitchen! And I love the living room. I haven't done anything with the bedroom yet, but nobody sees it, so it hasn't really been my priority. It's still yellow and splotchy from the last tenant. O'well.

The living room is fabulous. I love my cream shag rug and my red couch. I have a red couch! It's so happy. And of course pictures everywhere. One wall of our living room is all window with a great ledge for putting whatever we want on. I bought some plants and put picture frames all along it. I love it.

I painted my kitchen kiwi green and adore it. It makes you smile every time you walk in the door. So I found these fabulous flower photos to put on the wall. I just love the way my kitchen has come together. I just need a black or fuschia table cloth to tie it all together. And a big vase of flowers for the table.

Our bathroom and bedroom aren't much to look at. We put our king bed on stilts because it gave us lots of needed storage underneath it. It makes it a fun night to try and jump onto our bed. At least I'm tall!

Super Bowl and more.

2008-02-04T09:30:00.000-05:00

Bryant and I have definately been kept busy. He is studying away, as usual, getting ready for the second monster anatomy test. But he did really well on the last one, so their is high hopes for this one. He's amazing. I can't believe the amount of information that he has to know!

I've been going out with the Sister Missionaries a lot. They're my new best friends. We went out on Wednesday for a little visit to Tiffany's! I love that store. I know that everything is ridiculously over priced, but it's amazing to look at. We just wandered around looking at diamonds, pearls, silver...we weren't all the picky at what we looked at!

But let's get to the best part! The Giants won! I've always been a sucker for the underdog. Once I realized how much of an underdog they were, I was with them the whole game! They should have been slaughtered by the Patriots, but no! They won. It was a little too intense for me towards teh end. But Eli Manning came through. I was screaming and jumping around. It was a great victory for the Giants.

I made a little SuperBowl party for us. There's on thing I've learned since getting married. The SuperBowl is going to happen, so don't fight it. He may not watch football the rest of the year, but he will watch the SuperBowl. So make it fun for you, or you'll fight it and lose. So, I made a variety of snacks. I let us pick one guilty pleasure and then we had fruit and salad to fill in the rest of the space. I had fun. It was good to be "one of the guys" for Bryant. :)

It's started snowing again! We haven't had snow in over a month. It's been so warm though, it isn't going to stick...kinda sad. I won't have to walk around in it though, but I do miss and love snow. It's so pretty.

Operation

2008-01-22T12:55:00.000-05:00

So this last weekend Bryant and I battled it out with Operation. He got it as a Christmas gift; appropriate for a future doctor. He'll need something to practice on while he doesn't have access to his cadaver. So we played and guess who won???? Me! I beat him all three times. Maybe I picked the wrong career. I should have been a surgeon. Don't worry, Bryant will have lots of practice by the time he is a full fledged doctor. But, I'll always remember I'm the Operation champion.

We're back!

2008-01-14T12:12:00.000-05:00

Wow! What an eventful Christmas break that was! We began in Salt Lake, Utah for Jeff's wedding (Bryant's brother). We had quite the time trying to fly into SLC! When we got to the airport, of course there was the usual holiday traffic, but also storms all over the country. Our plane was delayed for about 4 1/2 hours in New York, which of course meant we missed the connection in Chicago to Salt Lake. We attempted to board standby in Chicago, but weren't able to get on any flights to Salt Lake that night. They were awesome and rerouted us to Pheonix and then onto Salt lake! It was such a long day. Not to mention the turbulance in the air. I tend to freak out a little bit during turbulance, so I created and "air plane" play list on my ipod. It helps to calm me down when the plane gets bumpy.

The wedding was beautiful though. It was good to be in Utah amongst the mountains again. However, it didn't feel like home. Kate (Jeff's wife) looked beautiful! And there was even a fluffy snow fall during pictures. I got some great shots of the couple and have posted them as a slide show. Congratualtions Jeff and Katie!

We flew to Missouri, which was eventful as well, but not to the drama of trying to get out. A storm threatened Denver and that's where our layover happened to be, so be got out of SLC on an earlier flight to try and beat the storm in Denver. It worked...we made it on earlier flights all theway home and weren't stranded with all the delays in Denver. It was good to be home.

I missed having Christmas with my family. It was my first Christmas not being at home, but Bryant's family made it fun and happy. Terry even brought a Charlie Brown tree for us to have in our hotel room. But I was glad to reach Christmas in the Cooper house.

I knew going into this break that it wasn't a vacation. There was lots to do for the reception being held at home. I catered it! I spent a lot of time planning out the food and decor. I loved it! We spent about 3 days preparing all the food and getting it ready for the reception. But there was plenty and an endless amount of compliments...which of course I thrived on. We tried to make everything finger food, so forks were only needed for the cake. This meant a lot of extra work because everything had to be plated separately. But it ended up looking fabulous! I had so much fun. And the Staples' home looked beautiful.

Shortly before the reception, however, my grandfather passed away. It wasn't unexpected, but sad. He was a wonderful man and will be missed by all who knew him. I have wonderful memories of my Grandpa Malone coming to visit. He was always kind and loving. He always took the time to show me what he was doing. I remember him pulling me aside and teaching me many a repair around the house. He was always serving us while he visited. I love him. It makes me greatful for my knowledge of the gospel and that families will be together forever. It is a wondrous thing to know! My family was in unchartered territory with this...having never lost a grandparent yet. He was the first to pass, and so we were exploring this situation for the first time.

Because of this, I extended my break for a week so that I could stay in Missouri and help my mom out around the house. I wasn't able to attend his funeral because it took place the same day as the wedding reception, but my mom and dad were able to attend. It was good to spend some fabulous girly time with my sisters. We don't get to do that very often. Bryant flew back to New York, and Scott (Caitlin's fiance) left, so it was just us girls for a while. We watched movies, talked Caitlin's wedding and had some great fun. It became known as the break with "two weddings and a funeral".

It's good to be back in New York though. I've enjoyed it a lot. Bryant was awesome and cleaned the house for me to come home to. I will have to post pictures of our apartment for all to see. I've gotten a lot of requests for them. So for now...Happy New Year!

It's Getting cold Outside!

2007-12-21T20:31:00.000-05:00

It's definately freezing now! The wind is hard and cold. But we are cozy in our apartment. I can't wait for Christmas though. Everyone talks about the wonderful shopping in the city, but I'm just exhausted. You have to go to a different store for everything. I don't know any of the stores, so Macy's has become my favorite. I have done lots of walking from store to store. I think we figured out that some days I walk about 4-5 miles shopping for gifts. But I count that as my exercise and we're great. I've had fun shopping though. New York has so many little nooks to explore. There are so many districts and places to be.

We also went to the December Decadence...or the Medical School Prom. I loved it. I wore a fabulous beaded dress. I've never worn anything so mature and sparkly. But it was a great break from everything. It was a first New York Party up in a loft downtown. There was lots of alcohol and dancing. Which of course meant we spent the night with water bottles and the DJ. But we had fun. Bryant was doll and danced with me all night. He worked his groove and we had a lot of fun. We stayed out until 3 am! I haven't done that in so long. I felt like I had a hang over the next day. I was so groggy. But it was a great party.

Bryant finished his first semester today! That's an accomplishment. I can't believe it! He even got an Honors on his final! We went and celebrated today. It's so nice to know that he's here. We've been pre-med for so long...it's nice to actually be a med student now. He's loving it.

Our first New York Snow!

2007-12-02T13:01:00.000-05:00

It's that time of year when the snow comes down. I love snow! I love how beautiful it makes everything. Even bare trees become beautiful and sparkly. I remember as a kid trying to keep Chance and Caitlin from playing in the yard for a while so we wouldn't disrupt the smooth snowy field. It was just too beautiful to ruin. I have always loved snow. I love bundling up and drinking hot cocoa. I love fires and fuzzy slippers. But most of all, I love what the snow brings with it...and that is the Christmas season. This is my absolutely favorite time of year. I love traditions and family. I love baking cookies and making fudge. I love singing Christmas songs. And all this starts with snow!

It's a different snow in New York City though. The world seems to shut down for a while and everything's quiet. And then, slowly bundled people emerge and the city starts up again, but for a little while, if you're up early enough, you can see the entire city covered in smooth snow. It's beautiful.

A great date night

2007-11-30T20:54:00.000-05:00

Tonight Bryant and I took a ride on the Staten Island Ferry. It's free and takes us right by the Statue of Liberty. I don't think I'll ever get tired of looking at that. It's an amazing symbol of our country. There is nothing like it anywhere. I'm so glad I was raised in such a way that I respect and love our country. I value what it has to offer. I think that if each child was raised in such a way, politics would be a lot simpler.

The Ferry was a lot of fun though. We timed it perfectly so that we looked out over the skyline and the Statue right as the sun was setting. It was beautiful! I can't believe the sun was setting at 4:30 pm. It's so early. It's no wonder I'm tired all the time. My day is ending and it's already dark before dinner time. Strange. But it makes a great sunset. I love New York and all it has to offer. It's still weird to me to look at this place and call it home, but I'm loving my time here.

Welcome to my fog...I mean blog!

2007-11-30T10:35:00.000-05:00

I've never been an avid blogger, but with family and friends so far away, it's hard to keep everyone posted on our life out here in the Big Apple. I love to take pictures and share them with everyone, so keep checking!

We have definately hit New York running. We've been to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and balloon inflation the night before, the American Museum of natural History, Time's Square, and Rockafeller Center. We've listened to a concert in Central Park, been to a Mets game and our first Hockey Game. It's been great. I made it on TV for Good Morning America and Tyra Banks. We are enjoying the city and all it has to offer.

Our apartment is cozy and feels very homey...in fact that's the one comment we always get is how "homey" it feels. I think it's just because we don't have 3 med students shoved in here with all their stuff. And I painted it green. I love it. I smile every time I walk in the door. If anyone finds themselves in this neck of the woods, you have a place to stay. We would love to see you.